Chapter 18.135
INDUSTRIAL PARK OVERLAY DISTRICT

Sections:

18.135.010    Purpose and intent.

18.135.020    Use regulations.

18.135.030    Boundary of Overlay District.

18.135.040    District regulations.

18.135.050    Performance standards.

18.135.060    Interpretations.

18.135.010 Purpose and intent.

The Industrial Park Overlay District is established to promote a high-quality industrial park development with an emphasis on aesthetics, compatibility and overall site integration. The district is intended to enhance the visual image of the City of Gardner and buffer the impacts of higher-intensity development while allowing the necessary function of an industrial park development. (Code 1990 § 16-526.1)

18.135.020 Use regulations.

Uses permitted in the underlying zoning district are permitted in the Industrial Park Overlay District, along with uses permitted as conditional uses. (Ord. 1973 § 1. Code 1990 § 16-526.2)

18.135.030 Boundary of Overlay District.

The Industrial Park Overlay District shall include that area generally located at the northeast corner of the intersection of Highway 56 (Main Street) and Moonlight Road. This area includes lots, tracts, or parcels of land bound by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad to the West, Lincoln Lane to the South and multifamily housing to the East (see Figure A).

Figure A

Boundary of Overlay District

(Code 1990 § 16-526.3)

18.135.040 District regulations.

The requirements of both the Industrial Park Overlay District and those of the underlying zoning district shall apply. When the base and overlay district regulations conflict, the most restrictive requirements shall take precedence, unless modified by the Planning Commission. In the Industrial Park Overlay District, no building or land shall hereafter be used, and no building or structure shall be erected, altered or enlarged other than in accordance with the regulations of this chapter. (Ord. 1973 § 1. Code 1990 § 16-526.4)

18.135.050 Performance standards.

Upon submission of an application for a building permit, the applicant shall prepare a site plan, building elevations and landscaping plan in sufficient detail as necessary for the Community Development Director to determine compliance with the Industrial Park Overlay District design objectives.

A. Site and Building Design.

1. Compatibility with Other Development.

a. The form and proportion of buildings shall be consistent or compatible with the scale, form and proportion of other development within the industrial park.

b. The rhythm of structural mass to voids, such as windows and glass doors, of a front facade shall generally relate to the rhythms established in adjacent buildings.

c. Care shall be exercised to coordinate final grades and site arrangement with those of adjoining properties and streets.

2. Location. Buildings shall be located to ensure the provision of adequate open space for outdoor gathering areas, facilities, services and amenities and to provide natural indoor light, air and privacy to the extent possible. All buildings, parking lots and other structures shall be located to integrate with the natural topography and to avoid deep cuts and fills, excessive foundation wall depth, unnecessary steps and steep access gradients.

3. Lot Coverage. The maximum lot coverage shall be 70 percent. Lot coverage includes those portions of the net site area covered by the ground floor of any structure, parking lots, and private streets and drives. Lot coverage does not include sidewalks or plazas.

4. Design Focus. The front facade of a building as well as the main entrance(s) shall be designed as focal points to the building. The main entrances shall incorporate devices such as canopies, overhangs, arcades, raised parapets over the door, larger door openings, display windows, accent colors, and other architectural details such as moldings. The remaining portions of the building shall be designed in a way that complements and is consistent with the building’s street facade.

5. Visual Interest.

a. Architectural design shall create visual interest through the use of different textures, complementary colors, shadow lines and contrasting shapes. Monotonous design shall be avoided. Variation of detail, form, and siting shall be used to provide visual interest. Facades shall be articulated with variations in the building plane and parapet height, materials and colors, entrance canopies, and landscaping.

At a minimum, facades facing a public or private street shall incorporate at least two of the following features along each applicable facade. These standards shall be applied to each facade individually:

i. Recesses and projections along at least 20 percent of the length of the building facade.

ii. Windows, awnings, arcades or other significant architectural feature used along at least 60 percent of the front building facade length or 30 percent of the side or rear building facade length.

iii. Brick, natural or fabricated all-weather stone covering at least 50 percent of the area when applied to the front building facade or 25 percent of the area when applied to a side or rear building facade.

iv. Landscaping islands or planting against the building, covering at least 30 percent of the length of the building facade.

b. Loading docks, trash enclosures, outdoor storage and similar facilities and functions shall be incorporated into the overall design of the building and the landscaping so that the visual and acoustic impacts of these functions are reduced to as great an extent as possible and are out of view from adjacent properties and public street.

c. Long expanses of overhead doors shall be relieved by matching their color to the wall or trim, recessing the doors, or adding architectural details to diminish the dominance of the doors.

d. The use of unusual shapes, color and other characteristics that cause new buildings to call excessive attention to themselves and create disharmony shall not be allowed.

6. Materials.

a. The use of high-quality materials such as brick, glass, stucco, natural and fabricated stone, treated wood or similar durable and visually pleasing material shall be used on the front facade and main entrances to the building. The remaining portions of the building shall be designed to be compatible with the front facade and building entrance features. The following construction materials shall be permitted:

i. Reinforced Concrete and Masonry. A concrete finish or precast concrete panel (tilt-wall) must have an exposed aggregate, be hammered or sandblasted, or be covered with a cement-based acrylic coating to add visual interest. Masonry includes solid cavity-faced or veneered-wall construction or materials. Brick material used for masonry shall be composed of hard fire (kiln-fired) all-weather common brick or other all-weather facing brick.

ii. Corrugated Metal or Aluminum Panels. The use of panels on front building facades or side building facades when abutting a public or private street is prohibited. Corrugated metal or aluminum facades shall be complemented with the use of masonry, whether brick, stone, stucco, split-face block, or broken up with the use of landscaping. Panels shall have a depth of one inch or greater and/or a thickness greater than U.S. Standard 26 gauge.

iii. Stucco or Gypsum Concrete/Plaster. These materials shall be complemented with the use of masonry, whether brick, stone, stucco, split-face block, or broken up with the use of landscaping.

iv. Treated Wood. The use of wood paneling or plywood on the front building facade or side building facades when abutting a public or private street is prohibited.

v. Structural steel or structural aluminum.

vi. Glass.

b. All elevations of the building shall be designed in a consistent and coherent architectural manner.

c. Where a change in material, color, or texture along the exterior side of a building is proposed, the demarcation of the change shall occur a minimum of 20 feet on both adjacent sides of the building or to the natural dividing point established by the physical plan of the building.

7. Building Color. Building color shall be limited to light, medium, and dark shades of earth tone gold and brown colors. Approximately 90 percent of each building wall surface shall be light and medium colors. The remaining surfaces shall be restricted to a darker color. The use of walls in a single color, with little detailing or completely blank, is not permitted.

8. Roofs. Careful consideration of durable materials, proportions, and shapes, emphasizing the importance of roofs as integral and embracing elements of the overall design, is particularly important. Building roof tops shall have at least two of the following features:

a. Parapets concealing flat roofs and roof top equipment;

b. Overhanging eaves;

c. Sloped roofs;

d. Three or more roof slope planes.

9. Parking.

a. Parking shall be designed in ways that do not overpower the character of the development nor appear as a dominant feature of the site.

b. With the exception of customer/visitor parking, parking shall be located to the rear and interior side of the building. Customer/visitor parking stalls shall be located to the front or street side of the building; provided, that screening and bonus landscaping is designed as follows:

i. The parking area shall not exceed 30 percent of the overall parking area developed;

ii. Parking shall not span more than 50 percent of the lot width or depth;

iii. Parking shall not be located closer than 20 feet to the front or street-side property or lease line;

iv. Parking shall be screened as required for parking visible from residential development (see subsection (C)(13) of this section); and

v. Planting islands shall cover a minimum of 10 percent of the parking area located to the front or street side of the building. Parking islands shall be planted with a minimum of one ornamental tree and shrubbery and/or ground cover.

c. On-street parking or loading is prohibited.

d. Off-street parking and loading shall be provided on the same lot as the use served except as otherwise approved as part of a shared parking concept (see Figure B).

Figure B

Shared Parking Concept

Parking is designed to be shared between adjacent sites. The shared parking concept maximizes usable space and provides additional traffic circulation.

B. Pedestrian Access and Circulation.

1. Access. Pedestrian access shall be an integral part of the overall design of the development. The pedestrian access shall provide not only safe and convenient access to and from off-street parking areas but shall also connect with abutting properties and developments so as to accommodate an alternative means of transportation such as walking or biking to and from work and surrounding activities. Access to site or park amenities shall also be provided.

2. Sidewalks.

a. Sidewalks at least five feet in width shall be provided along all sides of a lot that abut a dedicated public or private street. A continuous internal pedestrian sidewalk shall be provided from the perimeter public sidewalk to the principal building entrance(s).

b. Sidewalks shall be provided along the full length of any facade featuring a customer entrance and along any facade abutting a public parking area. Such sidewalks shall be located at least 10 feet away from the building facade to provide planting areas for landscaping along the foundation of the building.

3. ADA Compliance. All sidewalks, crosswalks, parking lots, or other areas of pedestrian circulation shall comply with ADA accessibility guidelines and standards.

C. Landscaping and Screening.

1. Landscaping Plan. Every site on which a building will be placed shall be landscaped in accordance with plans and specifications submitted according to the landscaping regulations of Chapter 18.165 GMC, except as otherwise specified herein. An on-site grading plan will be part of this landscape plan. The landscape plan must be submitted for review along with the building plans.

2. Installation. Required landscaping or screening shall be installed at the time of building construction as the season permits. All other materials shall be installed during the next planting season.

3. Maintenance. The plan shall include provision for ground maintenance such as an adequate supply of hose bibs. After completion, such landscaping shall be maintained in a sightly and well-kept condition.

4. Grass Sod and Seed, and Ground Cover. The required front and street side yards shall be entirely graded and sodded or seeded from the existing or proposed street curb back to the building excepting only such areas used for plantings, drives, parking, or walks. Rear yards and interior side yards shall be seeded or sodded except areas used for plantings, storage, parking, drives, or walks. Other types of ground cover in limited areas may be approved. All existing trees shall be saved when possible.

5. Street Trees. One street tree shall be required for every 40 feet of street frontage. Street trees shall be located in the street yard setback, and shall not be located in the right-of-way.

6. Landscape Materials. Landscape materials used for required landscaping and screening shall be from the “Permitted Plant Materials” list (see Table A), unless otherwise approved by the Community Development Director. Evergreen trees and shrubs shall be used as the primary landscape materials when required for screening or buffering.

Table A
Permitted Plant Materials List 

Scientific Name	Common Name
Deciduous Trees
Acer rubrum	Red Maple
Fraxinus americanna	White Ash
Fraxinus excelsior	European Ash
Fraxinus pennsylvanica	Green Ash
Gleditsia triacnthos	Honeysuckle
Populus alba	White Poplar
Quercus acutissima	Sawtooth Oak
Quercus macrocarpa	Bur Oak
Quercus rubra	Red Oak
Quercus shumardi	Shumard Oak
Ulmus parvifolia	Lacebark Elm
Evergreen Trees
Picea abies	Norway Spruce
Picea pungens	Colorado Blue Spruce
Pinus cembroides	Pinyon Pine
Pinus densiflora	Japanese Red Pine
Pinus nigra	Austrian Pine
Pinus ponderosa	Ponderosa Pine
Pinus resinosa	Red Pine
Pinus strobus	White Pine
Pseudotsuga menziesi	Douglas Fir
Ornamental (Small Deciduous) Trees
Ilex decidua	Deciduous Holly
Koelreuteria paniculata	Panicled Golden Raintree
Malus species	Flowering Crabapple
Morus alba	White Mulberry
Prunus armeniaca	Apricot
Salix discolor	Pussy Willow
Salix matsudana “Tortuosa”	Corkscrew Willow
Sapindus drummondi	Western Soapberry
Syringa reticulata	Japanese Tree Lilac
Deciduous Shrubs
Berberis thunbergi	Japanese Barberry
Cornus stolonifera	Red-Osier Dogwood
Cotoneaster species	Cotoneaster
Euonymus alata	Burning Bush
Forsythia species	Forsythia
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis	Rose of Sharon
Kolwitzia amabilis	Beautybush
Ligustrum species	Privet
Lonicera fragantissima	Winter Honeysuckle
Rhibes alpinum	Alpine Currant
Spiraea x vanhouttei	Vanhoutte Spiraea
Syringa vulgaris	Common Lilac
Evergreen Shrubs
Buxus sempervirens	Common Box
Lonicera japonica	Japanese Honeysuckle
Mahonia bealei	Leatherleaf Mohonia
Pyracantha coccinea	Pyracantha
Pyracantha koidzummi	Formasa Pyracantha
Juniperous chinensis	Chinese Juniper
Pinus mugo	Mugo Pine
Ground Cover
Aegopodium podograria	Bishop’s Weed
Euonymus fortunei	Evergreen Wintercreeper
Hedera helix	English Ivy
Juniperous davurica	Parson’s Juniper
Juniperous horizontalis	Creeping Juniper
Juniperous procumbens	Japanese Garden Juniper
Liriope muscari	Liriope
Vinca major	Periwinkle
Vinca minor	Common Periwinkle
Perennials
Achillaea sp.	Yarrow
Aster sp.	Daisy
Asclepais tuberosa	Butterfly Weed
Coreopsis vert.	Threadleaf Coreopsis
Dianthus sp.	Sweet William
Hemmerocallis sp.	Daylily
Iris sp.	Bearded Iris
Bulbs
Crocus sp.	Crocus
Narcissus sp.	Daffodils
Tulipa sp.	Tulips

7. Roof-Mounted Equipment. Roof-mounted equipment, including ventilators, and satellite dishes greater than 30 inches shall be screened from view (100 percent opacity) or isolated so as not to be visible from ground level of any adjacent public thoroughfare or residentially zoned area, up to a maximum of 300 feet away. Screening shall completely obscure from ground level all surfaces of the equipment. The appearance of roof screens shall be coordinated with and integral to the building design to maintain a unified appearance, not merely a separately designed afterthought. It is not the intent of this requirement to increase the height of the screening significantly above that of the equipment in order to screen it from view from tall buildings or from higher ground.

8. Utilities. All telephone and cable television lines, electrical services and distribution lines shall be placed underground, except that this provision shall not include meters, electric and telephone service pedestals, transformers, three phase feeder lines, subtransmission and transmission lines, electrical substations and such other facilities as the utility may deem necessary to install utilizing “overhead” type construction. These above ground utilities shall be located as close to the building as permitted by the utility company and screened from view of public streets to the extent possible through the use of landscaping or screening walls that are integrated into the overall site design.

9. Mechanical Equipment. All electrical and mechanical equipment located adjacent to the building and visible from any adjacent public thoroughfare or residentially zoned area shall be screened from view (100 percent opacity), up to a maximum of 300 feet away. Screening shall completely obscure from ground level all surfaces of the equipment. Such screens and enclosures shall be treated as integral elements of the building’s appearance.

10. Trash. All trash, refuse, debris or garbage shall be contained within an enclosed building or container designed for such purposes. Outdoor containers or dumpsters shall be shielded on all sides by a wall or decorative fence constructed of the same or complementary materials to those used on the primary building. The use of landscaping to further decrease the visual impact of the trash enclosures is encouraged.

11. Loading Docks.

a. Loading areas shall not be located at the front of the building, and, where visible from the front of the building, shall be screened from view from the street and neighboring properties.

b. Where visible from a public street or residential-zoned property, the visual impact of loading docks shall be minimized to the greatest extent possible through the use of landscaping, fences and berms.

c. Where possible, the screening shall be an integral part of the building structure and be used in conjunction with landscaping, ground cover, trees and shrubbery. If the screening is not an integral part of the building, then landscaping, ground cover, trees and shrubbery shall be used to screen the loading area.

12. Exterior Storage. Except during permitted construction periods, all exterior storage of equipment, raw materials or finished products shall be fully screened from the view of adjacent parcels and streets by a visual barrier such as a solid screen fence. Such exterior storage shall not exceed the height of the barrier. The barrier shall be a minimum of six feet in height. Additional height or screening such as landscaping may be required based upon the height of the items to be screened. Chain-link fence with vertical slats shall not be permitted.

13. Parking. Parking lots shall be screened from view from surrounding residential development. Such screening shall be effective to a height of 42 inches for vehicles under six feet in height. For vehicles over six feet in height, the screen shall be effective to a height of six feet. If landscaping is utilized to provide screening, the effective height shall be reached upon maturity, but in no case shall the initial effectiveness be less than 50 percent of that required.

14. Signs. Landscaping shall be included in the design of all ground signs at the entrance to the sight. The use of ornamental trees, flowering or ornamental shrubs and ground covers are encouraged.

D. Lighting.

1. Light Mitigation. Cut-offs and lighting shields shall be used to prevent spill over and glare onto adjoining streets and residential properties. Exposed lighting sources such as unshielded wall packs shall not be permitted.

2. Color. Lighting shall predominantly consist of lights that have a “warm” appearance. Parking lot lighting shall be of a type that provides sufficient lighting for safety and security without distorting the perception of color. Low-pressure sodium lights may not be used in parking areas or at main entrances.

3. Coverage. Light coverage shall be localized as part of an overall lighting plan. Light fixtures that broadcast light over large areas or that are a source of glare, sky-glow or other light pollution shall not be permitted.

4. Height.

a. Building-mounted lighting shall not extend above the roof line of the building on which it is mounted.

b. Pole lighting heights shall be as shown on the lighting standard illustrations on the following pages.

5. Lighting Standards. Lighting standards (poles) shall be as shown in Figures C and D.

Figure C

Typical Light Standard for Streets, Walkways and Small Parking Areas

Figure D

Typical Light Standard with Metro Module System*

*    To be installed at street intersections and other locations where appropriate information is needed to help identify and locate areas in the park.

E. Signs.

1. Types of Signs Permitted.

a. On-site ground sign: a sign on one or more supports erected parallel with (one-sided) or at right angles to (two-sided) the street frontage. The ground sign shall not exceed four feet in height from ground elevation, and shall not exceed 50 square feet in area (see Figure E).

b. Wall sign: a sign at the main entrance to the building displaying the company name and address only. Wall signs shall be limited to 10 square feet in area. Wall signs shall be constructed of raised lettering of a single color complementary to that of the building, and shall not project more than one foot from the face of the building. The sign shall be placed no more that six feet from the ground elevation.

c. On-site temporary sign – ground or wall: a sign for the purposes of describing a construction or improvement project or advertising the lease of a site or buildings. The sign shall be limited to 32 square feet and shall not remain longer than completion of construction.

2. Message. Signs shall be limited to advertising only the names of the firms, companies or corporations operating the use conducted on the site or the products produced or sold thereon.

3. Movement. Signs shall not rotate, gyrate, blink or move in any animated fashion.

4. Illumination. Illumination of the signs shall be limited to 40 percent of the surface of the sign for non-neon lighting and 10 percent for neon lighting. In all instances, illumination shall not be a nuisance to surrounding property nor conflict with aircraft operations. All lighting shall be shielded and confined within property lines. Internal illumination brightness level shall be from 100 to 200 feet lam.

Figure E

Typical Ground Sign

(Ord. 1973 § 1. Code 1990 § 16-526.5)

18.135.060 Interpretations.

In the event a dispute or disagreement arises over the district design objectives, the Community Development Director shall place the site plan or building elevations on the agenda of the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission shall determine if the site plan or building elevations comply with the intent of the design objectives. (Ord. 1973 § 1. Code 1990 § 16-526.6)